Your doctor may have told you your bloodwork is “normal.” In reality, routine testing captures only a small slice of what’s going on - typically about 20 basic blood markers.
Preventive medicine goes much deeper. It uses dozens of biomarkers that can reveal subtle deviations years before they would show up as “abnormal” on standard lab results [1][2].
Why doctors test only the minimum
-
Reactive approach: conventional medicine waits for disease; functional medicine looks for optimal health [1].
-
Insurance limits: reimbursement usually covers only “medically necessary” tests, not optimization.
Standard panel vs. comprehensive testing
-
Typical panel (8–12 markers): complete blood count (CBC), basic metabolic panel (BMP), lipids, TSH, fasting glucose.
-
Advanced testing (50+ markers): detailed lipid particles, full hormone profile, nutritional markers, inflammation, detoxification, and longevity predictors [1][3].
7 key biomarker groups for a comprehensive view of health
1) Cardiovascular indicators
-
Total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides - core lipid profile showing the balance between protective and risk lipids.
-
ApoB - counts atherogenic particles; a more reliable risk marker than LDL‑C alone.
-
Lp(a) - genetically determined atherosclerosis risk factor.
-
NT‑proBNP - marker of cardiac strain and heart‑failure risk [3].
2) Metabolism & diabetes risk
-
Plasma/fasting glucose - baseline glycemia.
-
HbA1c - long‑term average blood sugar.
-
Insulin resistance (HOMA‑IR) - combines glucose and insulin to estimate insulin sensitivity [4].
-
Urea and uric acid - relate to protein/purine metabolism; indicators of metabolic load.
3) Inflammatory & immune markers
-
CRP (high‑sensitivity hs‑CRP) - key marker of systemic inflammation and cardiovascular risk.
-
CBC (WBC, differential) - shows immune activity, infection, or inflammatory processes.
-
Homocysteine - linked to higher cardiovascular risk and B‑vitamin deficiency [5].
4) Hormonal health
-
TSH, free T4 - primary indicators of thyroid function.
-
Total & free testosterone, SHBG, FAI - male hormonal health, metabolism, and vitality.
-
Estradiol, progesterone, FSH, LH - core markers of the female hormonal cycle and fertility [2].
-
Vitamin D - hormonally active vitamin crucial for immunity and bone health.
5) Nutritional & biochemical markers
-
Vitamin B12 and folate (B9) - essential for hematopoiesis and the nervous system.
-
Ferritin, iron, transferrin - iron stores and oxygen transport status.
-
Calcium, magnesium, phosphate, sodium, potassium, chloride - minerals vital for nerves, muscles, and metabolism.
-
Albumin, total protein, serum protein electrophoresis - reflect nutritional status and liver function.
6) Liver, kidneys & detoxification
-
ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, bilirubin - standard liver enzyme panel.
-
Creatinine - marker of kidney function.
-
Glutathione (GSH) - the body’s master antioxidant (included in advanced programs).
7) Longevity & cellular health
-
Telomeres (advanced programs) - telomere length as an indicator of biological age.
-
Homocysteine (again in a longevity context) - optimizing < 7 μmol/L is associated with lower cardiovascular risk and better methylation [5].
Sources:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/functional-medicine
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/jcm/special_issues/Cardiovscular_Biomarkers
https://www.jmcp.org/doi/10.18553/jmcp.2025.31.6-a.s1
https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/article/70/2/355/7505352
https://www.rupahealth.com/post/9-most-commonly-ordered-functional-medicine-cardiovascular-labs
